Dog attacked couple 1 day before it was to be euthanized

Robert Laughton, 29, of Roseville sits next to his mother, Suzette Laughton, 52, also of Roseville as Robert Laughton faces two felony charges after his dog mauled his mother and her boyfriend at their home April 30, 2017 in Roseville. They are in 39th District Court in Roseville on May 4, 2017.(Photo: Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press)Buy Photo

One day before Bruce the dog was supposed to be euthanized for biting Suzette Laughton, leaving her with 30 stitches, the dog attacked her again, and also her boyfriend, mauling them in their Roseville home.

Bruce was euthanized this week after he severely mauled Laughton, 52, and her boyfriend, Michael Mager, 51, in a Sunday night attack that authorities said occurred without provocation.

Today, Laughton's son, Robert Laughton, 29, of Roseville, was charged with owning a dangerous animal that caused serious injury, a four-year felony, according to the Macomb County prosecutor's office. Laughton was arraigned this afternoon and given a $5,000 surety bond in 39th District Court in Roseville.

He entered a not guilty plea and said he would retain his own attorney. He is allowed to stay with his mother and her boyfriend but is not allowed to purchase another animal until the court tells him he can. His next court dates are May 17 and May 24.

Judge Catherine Steenland said: "This isn't a pretty case."

Laughton's mother told the court that she and her boyfriend want Laughton at their house. "I want him to stay with me," Suzette Laughton told the court, adding that her boyfriend "doesn't want anything to happen to Robert, either."

Catie Mager of Harper Woods said she, her father-in-law and the rest of their family support Robert Laughton and don't think he should be legally punished. What happened was not his fault, she said.

"He didn’t do anything to his dog. He loved his dog," she said. "Dad and Suzette loved their dogs. This is an animal, and sometimes, there’s just no explanation. ... We’re not blaming Robert; we’re supporting him 100%."

Mager said Robert Laughton will be the primary caregiver to both her father-in-law and his girlfriend while they're recovering, another reason the family hopes he's spared jail.

Laughton told the court: "I feel awful."

Neither he nor his mother had additional comment as they left court.

A Roseville police detective told Steenland that Laughton has been cooperative during the investigation and has a clear record and no criminal history.

But Prosecutor Eric Smith said he had no choice but to charge him.

“I grew up with dogs and love them dearly. But as owners, we bear complete responsibility for the training and behavior of our animals, especially regarding their interaction with the humans they encounter," Smith said in a release.

“With these powerful breeds, that responsibility is particularly acute. A single aggressive episode can result in life-ending tragedy. Our office shows zero tolerance to owners who fail to safeguard their animals and the people around them from vicious aggression.”

Bruce bit Suzette Laughton on April 19, opening a wound on her hand that required 30 stitches to close, the prosecutor's office said. Robert Laughton executed a 10-day order prepared by the county animal shelter in which he agreed to quarantine the animal prior to its being surrendered to the shelter for euthanization on May 1.

The dog was kept in quarantine at the home — and bit Suzette Laughton and Michael Mager a day before it was to be euthanized.

The county's chief animal control officer, Jeff Randazzo, said that the law provides flexibility to law enforcement authorities to do a home quarantine when it involves the pet owners — "owners" meaning the people who have custody and control of the animal. He said he understood it was the family's decision to keep the dog home for the quarantine, and that Roseville police acted appropriately.

Police Chief James ​Berlin said Laughton was issued two tickets at the time of the earlier attack and cited in district court for harboring a vicious animal and failure to license his dog, both misdemeanors.

Berlin initially identified Bruce as a 1-year-old male pit bull; a release from the prosecutor's office described the dog as a pit bull terrier. Laughton said Bruce was a "retriever bully mix." He told the Free Press on Tuesday that he didn't mistreat the animal and thinks it may have just "snapped."

Suzette Laughtonwas released from the hospital Wednesday; Mager remains hospitalized. They had bites to their arms and faces, authorities said.

Robert Laughton, 29, of Roseville faces two felony charges after his dog mauled his mother and her boyfriend at their home April 30, 2017 in Roseville. (Photo: Roseville Police Department)

Mager is healing well after two surgeries that left him with severe arm injuries, his daughter-in-law said. "He’s got full movement in both hands. He’s using the phone, he's eating, he's walking, he's doing everything," Catie Mager said.

She said: "Both of his forearms were bitten severely. He had a lot of missing skin, torn muscles, two exposed tendons in his right arm, and his brachial artery was severed in the left arm."

He is expected to be released from the hospital next week. Further surgeries may be necessary for further skin grafting or reconstruction, she said.

Michael Mager works with his hands for a living, installing countertops and doing handyman work.

"Doctors are optimistic he'll be able to do his previous employment, but we don't know when," Catie Mager said.

Michael Mager, 51, of Roseville, shown here in 2016, was injured April 30, 2016 in a dog attack in Roseville.(Photo: Catie Mager)

According to the prosecutor's office, Laughton bought Bruce from a Craigslist ad. After Bruce was euthanized, tissue samples were sent to a lab to ensure the dog did not have rabies or other communicable diseases.

When talking about the April 19 incident involving Bruce, Catie Mager called it an isolated event and said Bruce was a good dog.

She said that when her father-in-law and his girlfriend returned home Sunday, "they were going to muzzle the dog and let him outside. The dog was very fast. He came out of the cage; he went to lick Suzette in the face; she pushed him down and told him no. That’s when he jumped up and grabbed on her arm and started to bite her.

"One minute, it was just good old Bruce," she said. "Somehow, just by him being told 'No, don’t jump,' he just snapped."